The Arizona Cardinals look like they're on a collision course with heartbreak. Even if they beat the 49ers on Sunday, they could still miss the playoffs as an 11-win team.
If the Saints can beat the Buccaneers at home (a likely situation), Arizona's out. And that would leave the team that Calais Campbell called "the best team in the NFC" at home for the playoffs.
"I mean, in my opinion, we're the best team in the NFC," Campbell said on NFL AM. "But I hope we get into the playoffs so we can show it, because going 11-5 -- but you don't make it to the playoffs -- nobody really knows. The only teams we talk about are the playoff teams. So we really hope we get a chance to get in. I know if we do, we will do some damage."
The Seahawks -- at 12-3 and with a chance of clinching the No. 1 overall seed in the NFC and an NFC West title with a win on Sunday -- probably disagree.
But Campbell and the Cards might have an argument; they just went into Seattle and delivered Seattle its first home loss since 2011 (and the first home loss of Russell Wilson's NFL career).
We've seen Arizona get hot before -- the 2008 Cards got scorching, made the playoffs and rode their hot streak all the way to the Super Bowl. Campbell thinks the 2013 Cardinals are "better all around" than that squad and said if they make the postseason, we could see similar "magic."
"That team was special, but I think this team is catching that same kind of intensity, that same kind of belief we had that year," Campbell said. "I think if we get to the playoffs, you'll see a lot of that same kind of magic."
Unfortunately for Campbell and the Cards, they need a lot of help to even have a shot at pulling that trick off.
